FAST Dev Iteration With Meta XR Simulator - MacOS Support Available!

Today, I am excited to announce the availability of macOS support with the Meta XR Simulator as part of v66 or above, enabling faster Unity development iteration.
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📚 Video Chapters:
00:00 - Intro to Meta XR Simulator
00:36 - Benefits of using Meta XR Simulator with Unity Mixed Reality Projects
00:56 - Intro to LightSaber prototype which we'll integrate to learn about Meta XR Simulator
01:11 - Setting Up Meta XR Simulator Demos Project Template & Resources
01:55 - Adding Building Blocks & LightSaber prefabs
02:16 - Launching Meta XR Simulator (Virtual Reality Testing & Inputs)
04:33 - Adding Grab Interaction Building Block & Testing With Keyboard, Mouse, & Xbox Controller
06:56 - Data Forwarding Setup To Enable Physical Controller(s) In Meta XR Simulator
09:26 - Adding Empire Crates & LightSaber Slicing Features (With Ezy-Slice)
12:33 - Meta XR Simulator Support for MAC
13:56 - Adding MR Features: Passthrough & Synthetic Environment Testing
17:05 - Adding MR Features: MRUK, Effect Mesh, and Find Spawn Positions
22:50 - Outro
📌 Requirements:
- Unity 2022 LTS
- Meta XR All-In-One SDK: assetstore.unity.com/packages... (Affiliate Link)
💻 GitHub repositories are available with templates to get started, resources, and a completed project if you prefer to review the final version rather than following step by step:
👉 Full Project: github.com/dilmerv/MetaXRSimu...
👉 Resources: github.com/dilmerv/MetaXRSimu...
👉 Template: github.com/dilmerv/MetaXRSimu...
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www.learnxr.io
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blog.learnxr.io
#unity #meta #quest3

[@dilmerv]

💻 GitHub repositories are available with templates to get started, resources, and a completed project if you prefer to review the final version rather than following step by step: 👉 Full Project: github.com/dilmerv/MetaXRSimulatorDemos_FullProject 👉 Resources: github.com/dilmerv/MetaXRSimulatorDemos_Resources 👉 Template: github.com/dilmerv/MetaXRSimulatorDemos

[@hectorramirez9442]

Thanks the data forwarding, I didn't know that was posible for the controllers, that is something that I didn't like about testing on the simulator because controlling the controller using keyboard and mouse seem a little stif, but with this you can try more freely the movement of the controllers and without putting every time the headset.

[@dilmerv]

Hey Hector thanks for your comment and I completely agree, that feature is what makes the simulator shine!

[@carton2231]

Thanks for the fantastic video! I test this simulator. They simulate the movement of controllers well, but I found that Meta probably just capture the change value of the controllers’ position, rotation and whether if specific buttons are being clicked. They did not forward the movement of the headset and you can find that even though I moved my physical quest 3 the view inside the simulator would not change. Whatever, we can use specific keys like WASD left up right down arrow to simulate the movement of the headset and found that the view will be changed correspondingly. I wonder if they can data forward tha hand tracking? And is it possible to showcase multiplayer testing? Thank you so much!

[@dilmerv]

Thanks for your input, and yes I believe the physical movement of the headset is not something they forward to Unity, this is probably due to calibration complications. As far as hand tracking, they have it documented but it is outdated, currently if you go to settings there is a section for hand tracking but it doesn’t seem to be working. I will ask Meta to see what the status of hands is. Thanks for your feedback!

[@MetaverseAdventures]

I would MUCH rather have the tools to develop directly in XR so that I do not have to keep putting on and taking off my headset. I find the XR Simulator to be fine, but it really does not replace being in VR as you just see things differently and what looks fine on the flat, often does not in VR. Sure it can save some on/off in some situations, but not enough to warrant it for me. I just want to develop in XR as that will save me the most time and reduce the on/off cycles which I also find make my head sore. We are not there yet in terms of hardware, but we will be in the next 2-3 years it is looking like, but will Unity be ready to step up and make a VR version of their editor? Unreal already tried and it was not ready for prime time…but we are getting closer to the hardware being ready.

[@dilmerv]

Completely agree. We're just not there in terms of hardware. We can definitely develop in VR/MR by using applications such as Immersed or macOS mirroring with Vision Pro, but I still find it very uncomfortable to code for 8-9 hours while using a headset. There are some experiences that do require being in VR/MR to fully test specific edge cases, but for the most part, if the developer is aware of what needs to be done, you could possibly mock a lot of it and make it testable through the simulator.

[@KenRossPhotography]

Does this only work on macOS or is there a Windows version as well?

[@dilmerv]

It has worked on PCs since its initial release but their macOS support was barely added. Today, you can download it by either getting the Meta XR All In One package or by using individual packages with Meta XR Simulator. More info here Ken: developer.oculus.com/documentation/unity/xrsim-intro/

[@KenRossPhotography]

@@dilmerv Great - thanks for the info!

[@dilmerv]

Anytime, thank you for your comment and feedback!